Bossa Nova Night: Mario Bakuna & Julian Siegel - Live in London

Join us for a mesmerising Bossa Nova concert featuring the acclaimed Brazilian guitarist and singer, Mario Bakuna and renowned saxophonist Julian Siegel.
Embark on an unforgettable musical journey and experience the magic of Bossa Nova as Mario and Jullian serenade you with smooth rhythms, lush harmonies, and enchanting melodies. Join us for an evening of pure musical bliss as we celebrate Brazil's vibrant musical heritage and the charming sounds of Bossa Nova. 

Line up
Mario Bakuna on acoustic guitar and vocal
Julian Siegel on saxophone

Mario Bakuna is a London-based Brazilian composer, singer and guitar player, with twenty years of professional experience. His study focuses on Afro-Brazilian music, Samba, Jazz and Bossa Nova. Over the past few years, Mario Bakuna has emerged as a leading figure and a reference in the Brazilian Jazz Music scene in the UK. Bakuna has extensively performed in Europe and beyond at distinguished venues and festivals alongside artists such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado. The concerts of his two albums 'Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia' and 'Brazilian Landscapes' toured 18 European countries, Canada, Brazil, Madagascar, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, with great acclaim. 

“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines

“Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music. (…) ‘vocals’ doesn’t begin to do him justice: his expressive range and the precision with which he was able to deploy it was truly the band’s fifth instrument.  (…) And he did this while playing guitar with precision and finesse. (…) his solos were a further source of amazement, his technique somewhere between finger-picking style and classical. His solo introduction to a Baden Powell number made a hash of any attempt at a definition.” - The Whitman Review, Wakefield Jazz

Julian Siegel is a saxophonist, clarinettist, writer and arranger who holds a prestigious position in the UK and European Jazz scene. He won the BBC Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist in 2007 and the London Jazz Award in 2011. Siegel has collaborated with numerous leading artists and ensembles, including Kenny Wheeler's Big Band on the album 'The Long Waiting' (CAM Jazz), Andrew Hill's Anglo American Big Band, Hermeto Pascoal UK Big Band, Mike Gibbs 70th Birthday tour (alongside Bill Frisell, Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum), John Taylor Big Band, Steve Gray, Django Bates’ ‘Delightful Precipice’, Jazz Jamaica, Stan Sulzmann's Big Band, John Dankworth's Generation Big Band, Colin Towns Mask Orchestra, Allan Ganley, Hans Koller 'New Memories' Band with Steve Lacy, BBC Big Band, Jason Yarde's 'Acoutastic Bombastic', Nikki Iles Big Band and Hal Willner's 'Amarcord' with Carla Bley and Rita Marcotulli. 

“Spontaneous sparkle, Siegel’s wailing, swerving lines burt with character” John Fordham, The Guardian

“With drive, a warm sound and an endless flow of ideas, Siegel’s lines seem somehow three dimensional, even at breakneck tempos.” Hi-Fi News and Record Review ( 'Vista' Album Choice - March 2018)